Detoxin Review (New 2020) – Effectiveness: Does Detoxin Work?

Detoxin is a dietary supplement that claims to reduce the waistline and stimulate weight loss by ‘detoxifying’ the body of compounds that contribute to weight gain and generally damage health. By removing these ‘toxins’, the product claims to facilitate the reduction of bodyfat, slim the waist and improve health across a variety of processes. Primarily, it is concerned with ‘cleansing’ the intestines and colon, as with many other cleanse products.

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In this review, we’ll consider the effects of the ingredients that make up detoxin and whether they are likely to be effective based on the scientific evidence.

Diuretics and laxatives: are they safe and/or effective?

Detoxin contains a variety of products that have mixed effects on the health and wellbeing of customers: however, we’d initially hazard to say that it does not provide a healthy alternative or supplement to diet and exercise-based weight loss. Customers should be sceptical of any claims to cleanse the body or detox – there is no scientific basis for the claims of these diets and, as far as we are aware, the only significant method for the removal of toxins is a healthy set of kidneys and liver. Exogenous compounds that claim to detox or cleanse are actually diuretic or laxative supplements and force an excessive rate of excretion.

Detoxin is no different – there are 3 known laxatives in this product and at least 2 low-level diuretics. This should concern us from the start for both efficacy and health reasons. From an efficacy standpoint, it is important to note that neither laxatives nor diuretics are effective at preventing long-term weight gain or causing weight loss: they reduce bodyweight in the short-term by reducing the intestinal and bladder mass of the body. Whilst this may mean you weigh less, it is only because the body is not holding any food or fluid weight, and does not contribute to burning fat. When we look at what customers want, it is not usually “weight loss” but fat loss.

Additionally, there are well-documented negative effects to these ingredients themselves and it has long been known that diuretic and laxative compounds can have negative effects. Contrary to Detoxin’s claims about their product’s assistance in digestive health, the use of laxatives has been linked to severe damage to the digestive system [1] and laxative use should be considered only during severe bouts of constipation. Diuretics of any level should be treated with caution and increased urinary regularity is not indicative of health improvements: the only genuinely-healthy way that this could function is through increased water intake. If you want to reduce bloating and remove waste products, the best solution is to improve the diet and increase water intake.

The inclusion of Senna also concerns us – senna is a common herbal laxative but excessive use has demonstrated that it is also mildly toxic in certain doses and should be treated with caution at all times. As mentioned above, medical guidelines suggest that laxative and diuretic use are only for those who are suffering from genuine health issues and should be avoided by healthy individuals – chronic or regular ingestion of laxatives and diuretics are both associated with serious problems and Detoxin’s ingredients are no exception to this [2].

Effectiveness: does Detoxin work?

Aside from the effectiveness of detoxin to increase toilet-use regularity, does it actually have any ingredients that might have a positive effect without the side effects? Firstly, the ingredient milk thistle is a great addition: this has been included in a variety of liver and kidney support supplements and can reduce the damage done to the kidneys and liver by their day-to-day use. This is particularly important for those who drink alcohol, use exogenous hormones or have poor diets – hepatotoxicity (damage to the liver) is very common in our society and milk thistle extract has been shown in some studies to have positive effects at reversing this damage and improving general health [3].

Despite the negative effects associated with laxative content, there are some positive effects of some of the ingredients in Detoxin. Whilst we’re not fans of Senna leaf extract, prune extract, cranberry extract and a number of other ingredients of detoxin are more promising. The fruit extracts tend to be high in antioxidant activity and can reduce the damage done to the body by both aging and exercise – this will reduce the risk of various chronic diseases and improve longevity and general well-being [4]. Additionally, black walnut husk and other similar compounds are high in fiber – as mentioned above, the best ways to actually improve gut health is through an increase in dietary fiber such as this and Detoxin may still have some positive effects despite our earlier skepticism.

The inclusion of vitamins B6 and C are also positive: we strongly believe that the best approach to supplementation is to work from the “ground up”. This means that the first concern for customers and the general public is to ensure that the dietary and nutrition demands of the body are being adequately met, before attempting to supplement with any “miraculous” products. This means that vitamins and minerals should be our concern long before ‘recreational’ supplementation of laxatives or diuretics. Detoxin achieves this to an extent with the inclusion of vitamins, but there are various market alternatives that also provide these ingredients with a variety of more effective active ingredients. As much as we approve of added vitamins and minerals, there is nothing to suggest that Detoxin will actually cause fat loss!

This is the general theme with Detoxin and the largest existing criticism: it simply doesn’t work. From both a scientific and practical perspective, there is no reason to suspect that Detoxin will actually improve our chances of losing weight – especially in the form of fat loss. The ingredients are split into health-promoting and harmful: the variety of fruit extracts are excellent antioxidants and support healthy functioning – and obviously the laxatives and diuretics less so – but even among these, there are no compounds that have any scientific evidence of their effectiveness as “fat burners”. If we consider the fact that cleanses and detoxes are temporary reductions in intestinal mass or water retention, there is no reason to think that detoxin will actually have any effect on bodyfat or long-term weight loss.

Value and market alternatives

We have a mixed view of the safety and efficacy of Detoxin so far: it does not seem to do “what it says on the bottle”, but at the same time the risks are not likely to be severe if used in small doses within the guidelines of use and without excessive expectations. For some people, this temporary change may be sufficient (though we’re not sure why, but we aren’t here to judge) – rather, our concern is with the waste of money that this product represents. If the customers want a health supplement then this is not it, nor is it a fat loss supplement – so the market value is something that we have to consider before giving it a definitive rating.

Given the lack of effectiveness and the general confusion about what this product wants to be, we have some concerns about the price point and how it compares to market alternatives. We have reviewed a fair few supplements now and – despite our general sceptical position on the market – there have been many superior products which carry comparable costs, but offer much better effects. In this sense, we don’t understand how Detoxin could continue to be an effective choice for consumers if they were aware of the fact that it simply doesn’t work and that they may be paying to engender some health problems that they’d rather not have!

Equally, the price point is unjustifiable when we look at our analysis of the ingredients: the product was previously marketed between $30 and $50 but appears to have left wholesale production and can only be found through third-part sellers at the moment. This is probably indicative of the fact that it was an ineffective and overpriced attempt to sell ‘fad’ products to genuine, desperate customers who simply didn’t know better. This is another persistent issue with the supplement industry and, whilst it is not particularly malevolent in Detoxin’s marketing, it is probably a good thing that it has left production.

Closing remarks

In conclusion, we are not fans of Detoxin. From the start, we have been skeptical about this product – any products that claim to detoxify the body above and beyond a healthy diet and exercise are likely trying to sell poor-quality laxatives and diuretics to unsuspecting individuals. Detoxifying is not only a myth in its own right, but these processes do not contribute to long-term weight loss and can have negative health impacts on the very systems that they claim to benefit!

The market position of Detoxin – when it still had a market position – was too expensive for the poor results and we are far from concerned by its removal from the market. Consumers are recommended to avoid this product where possible and there appear to be very few sources available at this point. There are many, many market alternatives that surpass the effectiveness and value for money that Detoxin offers and our previous reviews should highlight this! We would award this supplement a 1.5/5, on the grounds of its failure to provide any positive benefits beyond those associated with a healthy diet, and the possible risks that prolonged consumption of forced-excretion compounds (diuretics and laxatives) can have on the digestive system and the filtration of blood and urine.

Steven has researched over 500 weight-loss programs, pills, shakes and diet plans. He has also worked with nutritionists specializing in weight loss while coaching people on how to transform their physiques and live healthy lives. You can contact him via the "About Us" page.

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